Former rugby star Matua Parkinson has been sentenced to nine months of home detention after admitting to on-selling several firearms he had purchased.
Parkinson, 49, pleaded guilty in June to unlawful possession of five Alfa Carbine rifles which he supplied to an unlicensed person, police said.
At the time, Parkinson “admitted travelling from his Tauranga home to two Gun City stores in Auckland where he paid almost $11,000 in cash for five Alfa Carbines in June 2022.
“The firearms have not been recovered.”
During the early 2000s, Parkinson captained the New Zealand Sevens team to victory in the world championship and played for the Māori All Blacks, Hurricanes and Blues.
Detective Inspector Albie Alexander said the offending put the public at risk as he alleged the guns were now “most likely in the hands of criminals”.
“Parkinson has held high positions of responsibility in the community, including an elected health board official and been captain of the All Blacks Sevens,” he said.
Police emphasised that the 49-year-old was required to meet the legal obligations to be a fit and proper person to hold a firearms licence.
“Any diversion of lawfully purchased firearms to unlicensed people, potentially gang members, criminals or extremists, poses a significant safety threat to the public and to frontline police officers.”
According to Alexander, more than 70% of firearms seized from offenders were standard rifles and shotguns, easily obtained by a so-called “A-Category” licence holder.
He said: “The National Organised Crime Group is aware of multiple examples of sawn-off Alfa Carbine rifles being used to commit crimes, including homicides.
“Today’s sentencing brings an end to court proceedings involving Parkinson, but the full impact of his offending is ongoing as the Alfa Carbines he supplied to unlicensed people remain in circulation and are most likely in the hands of criminals.”
Parkinson’s firearms licence was revoked and firearms removed from his possession when his alleged offending became known in 2023.
The new Firearms Registry is expected to “reduce the flow” of firearms to the illegal market and “flag unusual patterns of firearms purchasing in real time”, Firearms Safety Authority’s Angela Brazier says.
